Thursday, July 24, 2008

JoongBo: 11

It’s the next day and Hwang Bo is walking towards Hyun Joong’s apartment, carrying groceries, making the other MCs say that she’s more like a housekeeper than a wife! She enters the place and immediately heads towards the kitchen before walking into Hyun Joong’s room. She tiptoes to the window before pulling the curtains and greeting both Hyun Joong and Yong Saeng with a cheerful “Please wake up!” in Japanese. The both of them ignore her and turn away from the light. She tries unsuccessfully to wake the both of them up, and Yong Saeng hides under his blankets as she peers over Hyun Joong and tries to wake him up.

HB: Shillang, wake up… Shillang….Solbi: It seems difficult…

Hyun Joong finally stirs and looks up, disorientated, and Hwang Bo pulls him up before trying to wake Yong Saeng up again, making the MCs wonder what wrong did he do to Hwang Bo as she absolutely refuses to let him sleep! She tells them that she wanted all of them to eat breakfast together, which is why she kept on trying to wake him up.

In studio:Hyung Don: Gosh, Hwang Bo ssi, you just don’t sleep!HB: When you get older, you just don’t sleep!

HB: What time did you sleep last night?HJ: Me? Early.HB: Right after I left?HJ: No, 3-4 hours after. *squinting in the light*HB: What were you doing?HJ: *rubs eyes* Playing games.HJ: I’ll sleep a little while more…HB: Get up!!!!! *pulls him*

In studio:MC: How is it that Yong Saeng is still asleep after all that noise? He must be thinking “Will you guys please just go out and talk??”

HB: I’ll be leaving for Korea later. Don’t you think it’s a waste to spend time sleeping?HJ: *silence*HB: It’s not a waste?HJ: Of course it is.HB: *smiles*HB: Ok, you sleep a while more. I’ll wake you up when breakfast is done. Ok?HJ: *immediately lies back down* MmmmHB: Lying down without any hesitation. *covers him up*

She walks out and Hyun Joong closes the window, and pulls the curtains back before going to sleep again. She begins to clean up the ‘present’ that the boys left her and starts preparing the chicken dish that the boys asked for the night before. Everyone back in the studio starts praising her for her capabilities and Hyung Don says that she’s the best candidate for a wife and Hyuk Jae retorts that she’s the best candidate for a housekeeper too!

Solbi: You’re really good!HB:Wouldn’t it be weird if I still can’t do this at this age of mine?

She walks back into Hyun Joong’s room after she finishes all the preparations in the kitchen and peers over his shoulder, nudging him awake.

HB: What was it that you said you wanted to eat? Right, egg rolls! I’ll make them for you.HJ: I don’t want to eat, don’t want to eat.HB: Ok, then I’ll just prepare everything and go back. I can go back once I finish, so you just eat when you’ve woken up. Ok?HJ: *silence*HB: Hmm? Hmm? Hmm?HJ: No.HB: *laughs*

She gives up on waking Hyun Joong up and heads towards Hyung Joon’s and Kyu Joong’s room instead. She’s more successful with them as they get up almost immediately, although both of them are still groggy and disorientated; Hyung Joon speaking somewhat incoherently. She laughs before going asking if she should open the curtains, then says that she shall not since they are idols and that it wouldn’t be good for them. She then asks if they have applied their BB Cream before telling them that the reason why she woke them up so early was so that they could apply the BB cream! She high fives with Kyu Joong as she says that, all of them feeling rather bright and happy.

They ask about Hyun Joong and she tells them that he’s still asleep when Kyu Joong tells her to tickle him awake. She’s a little hesitant as she’s never had any skinship with him before. Kyu Joong explains exactly how to tickle him awake, and she leaves on that mission after a series of high fives with the both of them.

She walks into the room and sees Hyun Joong asleep soundly. She stretches her hands out but pulls them back again, feeling really hesitant and awkward.

MC: Build up your courage!HB: I was worrying about a lot of things.MC: Why couldn’t you do it?HB: I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because he’s my husband and not a dongsaeng.

She finally decided to do it and started tickling him, making him jerk awake before squirming away. They both begin a small tussle before he grabbed hold of her hands and pulled her. She falls slightly on him before getting up, his hands still around her wrists and she sits back on Yong Saeng’s bed instead!

HB: Ok, ok, I got it. I think this is the first time I’ve seen you mad!HJ: *disorientated*

She gets up and slowly walks out of the room, a little scared before running back to Kyu Joong and Hyung Joon telling them that she was successful and they all high five in cheer. Hyun Joong sits up, trying to think straight as to what he just did before getting up and walking towards the bathroom, eyes still closed.

Hyun Joong cleans up while Hwang Bo continues making breakfast, while the rest of the members are doing their own thing and Yong Saeng’s still asleep. Jung Min walks out towards the kitchen and peers in, scaring Hwang Bo.

HB: Yes?JM: Good morning.HB: Good morning, Ohayo! (Good morning in Japanese)JM: Ohayo. Is that gochujang soup? (Hot pepper paste soup) What is it? What is it?HB: *faint* It’s dry chicken stew. I couldn’t make the yang nyom chicken, so I made this instead. I’m making a soy bean paste soup too.JM: Ahh, wow. I think you need to boil it a little longer.HB: Oh, do you know how to cook?JM: Yup, I’m Cook Park!HB: Then you should cook more and feed my husband!JM: *ignore*

Jung Min walks away and Hyun Joong comes into the kitchen.

HJ: Oh, you’re really making that.HB: Mmm. I’m making it now.HJ: It’s still not done yet…HB: *looks* It’s almost done…HJ: *walks out sadly*

In studio:

MC Hyung Don: Words like that can really hurt.HB: I hear that all the time!

Jung Min comes around again and Hwang Bo exclaims that he’s like her mother in law! He laughs and walks away, telling her to do a good job. She stares after him in disbelief and starts saying that her marriage life has just become difficult. He comes back again after a while and asks if she’s cooked rice.

JM: It’s not instant rice is it?HB: I couldn’t find a rice cooker…JM: Then you should have boiled it!

She tells him to try the dish, calling him ‘Mother’ and he starts commenting on the food, telling her that it’s too sweet and that she had put ketchup in because she thought that they were young. He then asks her if she put leeks in and if she didn’t go shopping. She tries to defend herself while making faces at Jung Min. He then tells her that his kids like eggs so she should add eggs to the dish, when she tells him that she’s making egg rolls. He is surprised and tells her that she is working hard, and she glares at him while saying that she’s put in a bit of effort. Hyun Joong, on the other hand, is getting ready, unaware of their mother in law- daughter in law exchanges.

Hwang Bo serves the meal on the table and they all come out, impressed at her cooking before looking at the instant rice in dismay.

HJ: *defensive* It’s ok, just eat it. You won’t die.Members: ……………HJ: *defensive* Don’t you eat rice cakes? Why is it that you can’t eat this when you eat rice cakes? They are both made from rice grains!

They sit down to eat and the first thing that Hyun Joong reaches for is the ham. Jung Min tells him that he should eat the thing that she cooked first and Hwang Bo just says, what can I do? Hyun Joong asks what’s the matter in his own defense and Hwang Bo tells him that he should eat what she cooked first and that it was plain manners to do so. He picks up a piece of chicken and she looks at him.

HB: How is it?HJ: This is good!

The rest of the members tell her that it’s really yummy and she breathes out a sigh of relief. She then tells them that she’ll cook them better food when they return when Hyun Joong turns to her and says, “Let’s live together!” making her laugh.

Private interview:

HB: Honestly, it was really difficult. It was hot and there were insufficient ingredients and utensils. But later, when they approved of my cooking, do you know how happy I felt? It was like finally getting approval for a relationship that everyone disapproved of.

Hyung Joon says that she’s passed the initial stage of the tests and Hwang Bo asks what’s the last stage when he tells her that it’s when she finally starts driving on the road. He starts telling her the process, when Hyun Joong cuts in and says that what he means is that when they finally go on a proper date together and everything.

Hyung Joon: It’s sad though. That starting from tomorrow we won’t be able to eat such good food anymore. We’ll have to go back to ham.HJ: It’s ok. We’re going to stay together starting from today!Kyu Joong: *high fives with Hwang Bo*

She tells them to wait and she goes to get her bag and takes out her MP3 player and starts playing music while they eat. The boys start dancing and playing along, having a good time when Hwang Bo disappears again. This time she comes back with a special show, which is to pull out string from her mouth to the music. The boys play along before telling her that it’s weird and that they should put her intestines back in! Hyun Joong then starts to play the string pulling game as well, this time acting as though he’s throwing up his intestines.

They all continue playing around when Hwang Bo changes the music to a more sad sounding melody. Hyun Joong immediately acts as though he’s going through difficult and tragic times, and starts wailing as he eats, earning him the title of the best actor. She changes the song again and everyone listens before realizing that it’s one of her older songs. Hyun Joong asks for a seed and Jung Min obliges, bringing out a watermelon seed before Hyun Joong sticks it on her head. Chakra’s Hwang Bo has come back! She plays along for a while before taking it off and feigns playful anger.

Both Hwang Bo and Hyun Joong are walking on the streets and turn into a building. Hyun Joong has brought her to the recording studio where he’ll be recording his new song. She’s really excited and follows him in. It’s a little awkward for her as she sits at the back and he goes in to record his song.

MC: You should have introduced her.HJ: I did, but because it was a working place, I couldn’t just do what I wanted to.

He goes in and starts recording, taking instructions and answering back in Japanese. Everyone is impressed with his skills, and Hwang Bo tells them that he’s really good and fluent. She starts taking photos of him in the studio, acting like a tourist. After a while, she starts singing along with him, having memorized the lyrics after listening to it for so long.

HB: I wonder if I can feature in his song…

They take a break and they start talking to each other.

HB: You can’t see me right?HJ: Me? Of course I can’t, how can I from here?HB: Well, in Korea you can usually see the people outside from in there right? But you can’t from here right?HJ: Yea. So, do you want to stand in front of me?HB: *laughs*HJ: The lyrics are “Let’s hug, let’s kiss, let’s melt together” that kind of thing.HB: Melt? Oh, ok.HJ: Which is why I think it would be even more awkward if you were inside here.HB: *laughs* No, I won’t go in. You’re recording.HJ: After that, the lyrics go, what kind of feeling do you get.HB: What kind of feeling did you get when I came?HJ: Oh, why did you come?HB: *disappointed* The groom that always like to make fun of me.HJ: No, that’s not it. I was thinking about how we had to move to a smaller place, and you even had to take a plane here. That it would be difficult for you.HB: *laughs*HB: I’ve got to go soon. In like ten minutes.HJ: You’re leaving at four?

He stands and looks straight for a while before coming out of the studio and sitting with her. The both of them start talking about trivial things, such as his favorite large rice cracker snack in Japan and the lyrics of the song. She tells him that the lyrics could also be used in normal conversations, which was good. He looks at her and says, “Not let’s melt together! Isn’t it weird, saying let’s melt together? If I said that, I’d be classified a pervert!” making her laugh.

HJ: You’re really going?HB: Yea, really going.HB: *anticipates*HJ: Live here!HB: I can stay here for about another seven minutes, then I really have to go.HJ: Really?HJ: If only you could feature in the song.HB: I can’t speak Japanese.HJ: You can do it in English! You know, add the sound effects after my lines, like “Aah…”HB: You sure you can change the lyrics like that?HJ: It’s not changing lyrics. More like adding emotions?HJ: If they’d allow it…

He then asks the director if his wife can do a little feature on his song while she’s there, since she’s a singer and all. They giggle at his suggestion and agree to it.

HJ: Drink a bit of water, and then make it sound really sexy, you know?HB: *gargles*HJ: This isn’t a gargle!HB: I’m just warming up my throat!HJ: It’s just adding emotional sounds, why do you need to warm up your throat? It’s the rough sounds that are sexy!

She goes in and he starts telling her what to do, when she says something. “Shillang. I can read your lyrics. They are in Korean.” He starts looking all bashful and says that that’s how they (SS501) do it, it’s their style. He tells her what to do, telling her that she should make it sound sexy and rough. She does what he tells her to do, which actually is rather hilarious. When she finishes, she asks if she did a good job and he tells her that it’s not it. He starts coaching her some more, and she’s does whatever he tells her to do.

HJ: Yeobo, no, why am I saying that?HB: *laughs*HJ: Bu In, you did good, but… *buries head from embarrassment*HB: Yeobo?HJ: I think I must have always wanted to call you that.

He tells her not to use her voice, but to sound more breathless. She listens to him again and this time the effect is just the thing that he wants. He claps and says that it’s perfect and asks the director to play it back again. She starts laughing from embarrassment in the studio.

HJ: Hwang Bu In was, no not was, she is a singer right? That’s why I thought that she would have been able to sound sexy and all, but she couldn’t. Which is why I coached her and although she was a little awkward initially, in the end, she did it.

PD: Were you satisfied?

HJ: I was really satisfied, but I’m not sure if the Japanese staff would like it. I don’t think it’ll make it into the album, but I have a copy of it. I think it’s really good that I can listen to it whenever I want to.

She comes out, Hyun Joong shakes her hand and everyone claps. Hyun Joong tells the director that he wants a copy of that recording in a CD. She tells him that she’s leaving now, and he tells her that even if it doesn’t make it in the album, he will always have a copy of it. She says her goodbyes and he follows her out, her final day in Japan with him coming to an end.

Private interview:

HB: It was great when I was first there, but then thinking back, I think maybe I shouldn’t have gone. Even in the plane coming back to Korea, I was thinking those thoughts. It was weird, as I spent the whole day with him, seeing him. Which is why I thought of him the moment I opened my eyes. I thought of him while I was eating, thinking “Are they eating ramyun again? Is Yong Saeng still sleeping? Did anyone tickle shillang awake? Did they finish the ham?” Even when I was eating, I felt bad as I was eating all this alone.